krishi jagran agriculture world april 2016

AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE W RLDW RLD

The Pulse � Global Agriculture

INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURE IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR

FARM MECHANIZATION IN INDIA NEED, DEVELOPMENT

AND ADOPTION

CHANGING THE FACE OFINDIAN AGRICULTURE

SPIRALING WHITEFLY A MAJOR PEST OF GUAVA

MORE CROP PER DROPMORE CROP PER DROP

Echoing Sustainable Environment and Agriculturewww.krishijagran.comkrishi.jagran @krishijagran

Volume II Issue 4 April 2016 `70 | | | ISSN 2455-8184

Limited period offer from John Deere authorized Dealerships.

AGRICULTURE WORLDCONTENTS

Editor-in-ChiefMC Dominic

Directors Shiny EmanuelMG Vasan

Sr. Executive Editor Dr. KT ChandyRK Teotia

Assistant Editor Ruby Jain

Sr. Correspondent Imran Khan

CorrespondentManish ChauhanSagar MalhotraDeepshikhaSameer TiwariPooja MishraAslam Rasool KhanJyoti Sharma

V.P. Int. Business D.D. Nair Gavrilova Maria

Marketing Head Sanjay Kumar GM - Marketing Farha KhanSr. Manager Marketing Sara Khan

Marketing Manager Megha SharmaAfsana Malik Sr. Executive Marketing Chunki BhutiaPoonam BishwakarmaRinki PundirLaxmi PandeySoniya MahajanShifali MahajanPreeti ChauhanKanchan SinghPunam PradhanRachael Xavier Agnes MarryHema SharmaRitika RajuJannet Johnson Rajni KumariKarishma LehriMeena PandeyPriya TripathiAayesha KhanFurkan Qureshi Circulation Head Nishant K Taak

Circulation Manager Rahul SinghAbdus Samad

Sr. Executive Circulation Sujata GautamAnku YadavPappu RayMohitPrashant Sharma

AGRICULTURE WORLDIN THIS ISSUE

Volume 2 Issue 4 April 2016 Total Page- 44

Furkan QureshiShahzeb Ahmed

Head Pre-Press Dharmendra Kumar

Graphic Designer Yogesh Kumar

AccountsKB Indira

O�ce Assistant Prem KumarRajivRanjan

DD NairVP International Business (Russia & CIS Countries)6 Mikluho-Maklaya STR, Moscow, Russia 117198Mob: +7903729 98 30, Tel: +7499501 99 10Email: [email protected]

M MezhukanalE-16F - 33, Hamriya Free Zone, Sharjah, UAEMob: +971 50 2870465 Email: [email protected]

For Circulation & SubscriptionNishant Kr. TaakMob: +91-9953756433Email: [email protected], [email protected]

CONTACT [email protected]

[email protected]

Printed and Published by: M. C. Dominic60/9, 3rd Floor, Yusuf Sarai Market, Near Green Park Metro Station, New Delhi 110016.Tel: 011-26511845, 26517923Mobile: +91-9313301029, +91-9654193353Email: [email protected], [email protected] � Web: www.krishijagran.com

Printed at: Pushpak Press Pvt. Ltd., 203-204, DSIDC, Okhla Ph.-I, New Delhi - 110020

Disclaimer:While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of the information contained in this publications, the publishers are not responsible for any errors or omissions that might have crept into this publications.No part of this publication may be reproduced or kept in a retrieval system, without the express permission of the publishers.

22. COVER STORY

NEW HOLLAND AGRICULTURECHANGING THE FACE OF

INDIAN AGRICULTURE

06. Farm Mechanization in India Need, Development and Adoption

12. Variations In Soil Features

24. Spiraling Whitey A Major Pest of Guava

INTERVIEW

28. More Crop per Drop is the Mission: Ohad

31. Dairy Scenario In India

INTERVIEW

34. Investment in Agriculture is the Need of the Hour

36. Managing Menace of Whitey In Cotton

38. National And International Policy For Regenerating Springs

M C DominicEditor‐in‐Chief

[email protected]

EDITORIAL

From the publisher’s desk

Indian agriculture has a long way to go in the �eld of mechanization of farm operations to make farming more e�cient and e�ective though appreciable progress has been achieved during the last several decades. �e greatest hurdle in the way of mechanization in Indian agriculture is the large number of small and marginal farms. �e article on �Farm mechanization in India: Need, Development and Adoption� by N S Chandel & K R Solanke, ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural

Engineering Bhopal, India, emphasizes the importance of mechanization in agriculture to improve production and productivity. �eir emphasis is on farm mechanization to cater to small and marginal farms.

Soil is a mysterious substance containing all the elements mentioned in the periodic table in the form of a heterogeneous mass. It is from this mass of substance in the presence of adequate moisture that all the biomass requirements, for humans and animals, are being generated through agriculture. However variations in land features like depth of the soil, its texture, particle size, slope, soil erosion, salinity, permeability, availability of moisture, drainage etc. play a great role in enhancing the productivity of the soil. Dr. K. T. Chandy in his article �Variations in Land Features� describes in detail all the variations of soil for the bene�t of those who would like organize and plan their farm lands for better economic performance.

Guava is the fourth most widely grown fruit crop in India. �e area under guava in India is about 2.2 lakh hectares with production 27.10 lakh tonnes. �e most popular varieties of guava grown in India are Allahabad Safeda, Sardar and Dharwar. Dr. Parag D. Turkhade, Sudhir S. Morde and Dr. Sarita K. Nehare, College of Agriculture, Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri (MS) in their article on �Spiraling White�y: A Major Pest of Guava� provides a detailed information about the nature and damage of that pest in�icting on guava along with the control measures of the same.

Interview of Ohad Horsandy, Spokes person, Israel Embassy by Aslam Rasool Khan should indeed be an eye-opening to the Indian farmers who are still in their traditional and primitive technologies and traditional conservative unscienti�c thinking. How Israel is overcoming the water scarcity by using 85% of its domestic waste water for agriculture production should be eye opening to the India farmers who abhors the use of the same in his �eld due to their traditional and mythical understanding of the use of waste water: untouchability of sewage and domestic waste water. In India farmers resort to �ooding irrigation wasting 60 to 70 percent of the water while Israel resort to drip irrigation saving 60 to 70 per cent of their irrigation water. �ere are several other technologies Indian farmers should learn from their counterparts in Israel. Shekhar Shudanshu, Technical o�cer, Animal Husbandry Dept, a�er giving a brief sketch of the Indian dairy industry which ranks �rst in the total production of milk in the world brie�y describes the need for improvement in the same since we have the highest number of cattle and bu�alos in the world. Dairying is a secondary occupation for about 70 % of India's milk producers but only 7% have it as their primary employment. �ere is a need for developing dairy as a primary employment for a substantial percentage of population which will need allocation large tracts of suitable land for dairy industry.

Dr. Mangala Rai, Ex-Director General of ICAR and the present Vice Chancellor of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, in his interview informs us about the importance of investment in agriculture sector and explains about the experiments conducted in his university.

AGRICULTURE WORLDCONTENTS

Editor-in-ChiefMC Dominic

Directors Shiny EmanuelMG Vasan

Sr. Executive Editor Dr. KT ChandyRK Teotia

Assistant Editor Ruby Jain

Sr. Correspondent Imran Khan

CorrespondentManish ChauhanSagar MalhotraDeepshikhaSameer TiwariPooja MishraAslam Rasool KhanJyoti Sharma

V.P. Int. Business D.D. Nair Gavrilova Maria

Marketing Head Sanjay Kumar GM - Marketing Farha KhanSr. Manager Marketing Sara Khan

Marketing Manager Megha SharmaAfsana Malik Sr. Executive Marketing Chunki BhutiaPoonam BishwakarmaRinki PundirLaxmi PandeySoniya MahajanShifali MahajanPreeti ChauhanKanchan SinghPunam PradhanRachael Xavier Agnes MarryHema SharmaRitika RajuJannet Johnson Rajni KumariKarishma LehriMeena PandeyPriya TripathiAayesha KhanFurkan Qureshi Circulation Head Nishant K Taak

Circulation Manager Rahul SinghAbdus Samad

Sr. Executive Circulation Sujata GautamAnku YadavPappu RayMohitPrashant Sharma

AGRICULTURE WORLDIN THIS ISSUE

Volume 2 Issue 4 April 2016 Total Page- 44

Furkan QureshiShahzeb Ahmed

Head Pre-Press Dharmendra Kumar

Graphic Designer Yogesh Kumar

AccountsKB Indira

O�ce Assistant Prem KumarRajivRanjan

DD NairVP International Business (Russia & CIS Countries)6 Mikluho-Maklaya STR, Moscow, Russia 117198Mob: +7903729 98 30, Tel: +7499501 99 10Email: [email protected]

M MezhukanalE-16F - 33, Hamriya Free Zone, Sharjah, UAEMob: +971 50 2870465 Email: [email protected]

For Circulation & SubscriptionNishant Kr. TaakMob: +91-9953756433Email: [email protected], [email protected]

CONTACT [email protected]

[email protected]

Printed and Published by: M. C. Dominic60/9, 3rd Floor, Yusuf Sarai Market, Near Green Park Metro Station, New Delhi 110016.Tel: 011-26511845, 26517923Mobile: +91-9313301029, +91-9654193353Email: [email protected], [email protected] � Web: www.krishijagran.com

Printed at: Pushpak Press Pvt. Ltd., 203-204, DSIDC, Okhla Ph.-I, New Delhi - 110020

Disclaimer:While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of the information contained in this publications, the publishers are not responsible for any errors or omissions that might have crept into this publications.No part of this publication may be reproduced or kept in a retrieval system, without the express permission of the publishers.

22. COVER STORY

NEW HOLLAND AGRICULTURECHANGING THE FACE OF

INDIAN AGRICULTURE

06. Farm Mechanization in India Need, Development and Adoption

12. Variations In Soil Features

24. Spiraling Whitey A Major Pest of Guava

INTERVIEW

28. More Crop per Drop is the Mission: Ohad

31. Dairy Scenario In India

INTERVIEW

34. Investment in Agriculture is the Need of the Hour

36. Managing Menace of Whitey In Cotton

38. National And International Policy For Regenerating Springs

M C DominicEditor‐in‐Chief

[email protected]

EDITORIAL

From the publisher’s desk

Indian agriculture has a long way to go in the �eld of mechanization of farm operations to make farming more e�cient and e�ective though appreciable progress has been achieved during the last several decades. �e greatest hurdle in the way of mechanization in Indian agriculture is the large number of small and marginal farms. �e article on �Farm mechanization in India: Need, Development and Adoption� by N S Chandel & K R Solanke, ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural

Engineering Bhopal, India, emphasizes the importance of mechanization in agriculture to improve production and productivity. �eir emphasis is on farm mechanization to cater to small and marginal farms.

Soil is a mysterious substance containing all the elements mentioned in the periodic table in the form of a heterogeneous mass. It is from this mass of substance in the presence of adequate moisture that all the biomass requirements, for humans and animals, are being generated through agriculture. However variations in land features like depth of the soil, its texture, particle size, slope, soil erosion, salinity, permeability, availability of moisture, drainage etc. play a great role in enhancing the productivity of the soil. Dr. K. T. Chandy in his article �Variations in Land Features� describes in detail all the variations of soil for the bene�t of those who would like organize and plan their farm lands for better economic performance.

Guava is the fourth most widely grown fruit crop in India. �e area under guava in India is about 2.2 lakh hectares with production 27.10 lakh tonnes. �e most popular varieties of guava grown in India are Allahabad Safeda, Sardar and Dharwar. Dr. Parag D. Turkhade, Sudhir S. Morde and Dr. Sarita K. Nehare, College of Agriculture, Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri (MS) in their article on �Spiraling White�y: A Major Pest of Guava� provides a detailed information about the nature and damage of that pest in�icting on guava along with the control measures of the same.

Interview of Ohad Horsandy, Spokes person, Israel Embassy by Aslam Rasool Khan should indeed be an eye-opening to the Indian farmers who are still in their traditional and primitive technologies and traditional conservative unscienti�c thinking. How Israel is overcoming the water scarcity by using 85% of its domestic waste water for agriculture production should be eye opening to the India farmers who abhors the use of the same in his �eld due to their traditional and mythical understanding of the use of waste water: untouchability of sewage and domestic waste water. In India farmers resort to �ooding irrigation wasting 60 to 70 percent of the water while Israel resort to drip irrigation saving 60 to 70 per cent of their irrigation water. �ere are several other technologies Indian farmers should learn from their counterparts in Israel. Shekhar Shudanshu, Technical o�cer, Animal Husbandry Dept, a�er giving a brief sketch of the Indian dairy industry which ranks �rst in the total production of milk in the world brie�y describes the need for improvement in the same since we have the highest number of cattle and bu�alos in the world. Dairying is a secondary occupation for about 70 % of India's milk producers but only 7% have it as their primary employment. �ere is a need for developing dairy as a primary employment for a substantial percentage of population which will need allocation large tracts of suitable land for dairy industry.

Dr. Mangala Rai, Ex-Director General of ICAR and the present Vice Chancellor of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, in his interview informs us about the importance of investment in agriculture sector and explains about the experiments conducted in his university.

“Sustaining food

production can only be realized by

increasing land and labor

efficiency in agriculture

through farm mechanization”

krishijagran.com AGRICULTURE WORLD APRIL 2016|06

Introduction

Farm mechanization is an important

element of modernization of agriculture.

Farm Productivity is positively correlated with

the availability of farm power coupled with

efficient farm implements and their judicious

utilization. Agricultural mechanization helps

in increasing production, productivity and

profitability in agriculture by achieving

timeliness in farm operations, bringing

precision in metering and placement of

inputs, reducing available input losses,

increasing utilization efficiency of costly

inputs (seed, chemical, fertilizer, irrigation,

water etc.), reducing unit cost of produce,

enhancing profitability and competitiveness

in the cost of operation. It also helps in the

conservation of the produce and by products

from qualitative and quantitative damages;

enables value addition and establishment of

agro processing enterprises for additional

income and employment generation from

farm produce. It is one of the important inputs

to user in all round development in the rural

India.

Importance of farm mechanization

The efficiency of mechanization can be

judged from the fact that modern plough is

about 200 to 300 % efficient than indigenous

plough, ef ficient machinery helps in

increasing productivity by about 30%

besides, enabling the farmers to raise a

second crop or multi crop making the Indian

agriculture attractive and a way of life by

becoming commercial instead of subsistence.

There is a need to double the food production

by 2020. This will call for raising more crops

FARM MECHANIZATION IN INDIA Need, Development and Adoption

in a year thus limiting the turn around time.

Increased production will require more use of

agricultural inputs and protection of crops

from biotic and abiotic stresses. This will call

for greater engineering inputs which will

require development and introduction of high

capacity, precision, reliable and energy

efficient equipment.

Ear l i e r, i t was cons ide red tha t

mechanization creates unemployment. The

myth has been broken and it has been

observed that, agricultural mechanization

bes ides increas ing produc t ion and

productivity also generates income and

employment opportunities. Several studies

conducted in different parts of India have

shown that mechanization has helped in

increasing product ion, product iv i ty,

generation of income and employment.

Punjab, a highly mechanized state, employs

7.0 lakh laborers from adjoining states, out of

which 3.5 lakh are employed on a regular

basis and remaining during the main

cropping season.

Agricultural workers, draught animals,

tractors, power tillers, diesel engines, electric

motors are used as sources of farm power in

Indian agriculture. The available farm power

(kW/ha) in Indian agriculture form these

sources and total farm power. It indicates that

the composition and relative share of different

sources of power for farming operations has

undergone significant change during the last

four decades. The availability of draught

animals power has come down from 0.133

kW/ha in 1971-72 to 0.094 kW/ha in

2012-13, whereas the share of tractors,

power tillers, diesel engines and electric

motors has increased from 0.020 to 0.844,

0.001 to 0.015, 0.053 to 0.300 and 0.041 to

0.494 kW/ha, respectively during the same

period. The total power availability on Indian

farms has increased from 0.293 to 1.841

kW/ha at a CAGR of 4.58% during the last

forty one years.

However, it is heartening to note that

average emerging land holdings are large

enough for mechanized farming as

evidenced in Punjab and Haryana. As

discussed in the earlier paragraph, one of the

major constraints of increasing agricultural

production and productivity is the inadequacy

of farm power and machinery with the

farmers. The average farm power availability

needs to be increased from the current 1.841

kW/ha to at least 2 kW/ha to assure

timeliness and quality in field operations,

undertake heavy field operations like sub

soiling, chiseling, deep ploughing, summer

ploughing, handling agricultural produce

and byproducts efficiently, process them for

value addition, income and employment

generation. All these works in agricultural

operations is possible to be attended only

when adequate agricultural mechanization

infrastructure is created.

Agricultural mechanization scenario

and farm power

Over, the years, promotion of agricultural

mechanization has been directed towards the

promotion of eco-friendly and selective

agricultural implements and machines with

the aims of optimal utilization of the available

s o u r c e s o f h u m a n , a n i m a l a n d

krishijagran.com 07 AGRICULTURE WORLD APRIL 2016|

“Farmers are aided in improving marketing processes”

N S Chandel & K R Solanke

“Sustaining food

production can only be realized by

increasing land and labor

efficiency in agriculture

through farm mechanization”

Introduction

Farm mechanization is an important

element of modernization of agriculture.

Farm Productivity is positively correlated with

the availability of farm power coupled with

efficient farm implements and their judicious

utilization. Agricultural mechanization helps

in increasing production, productivity and

profitability in agriculture by achieving

timeliness in farm operations, bringing

precision in metering and placement of

inputs, reducing available input losses,

increasing utilization efficiency of costly

inputs (seed, chemical, fertilizer, irrigation,

water etc.), reducing unit cost of produce,

enhancing profitability and competitiveness

in the cost of operation. It also helps in the

conservation of the produce and by products

from qualitative and quantitative damages;

enables value addition and establishment of

agro processing enterprises for additional

income and employment generation from

farm produce. It is one of the important inputs

to user in all round development in the rural

India.

Importance of farm mechanization

The efficiency of mechanization can be

judged from the fact that modern plough is

about 200 to 300 % efficient than indigenous

plough, ef ficient machinery helps in

increasing productivity by about 30%

besides, enabling the farmers to raise a

second crop or multi crop making the Indian

agriculture attractive and a way of life by

becoming commercial instead of subsistence.

There is a need to double the food production

by 2020. This will call for raising more crops

FARM MECHANIZATION IN INDIA Need, Development and Adoption

in a year thus limiting the turn around time.

Increased production will require more use of

agricultural inputs and protection of crops

from biotic and abiotic stresses. This will call

for greater engineering inputs which will

require development and introduction of high

capacity, precision, reliable and energy

efficient equipment.

Ear l i e r, i t was cons ide red tha t

mechanization creates unemployment. The

myth has been broken and it has been

observed that, agricultural mechanization

bes ides increas ing produc t ion and

productivity also generates income and

employment opportunities. Several studies

conducted in different parts of India have

shown that mechanization has helped in

increasing product ion, product iv i ty,

generation of income and employment.

Punjab, a highly mechanized state, employs

7.0 lakh laborers from adjoining states, out of

which 3.5 lakh are employed on a regular

basis and remaining during the main

cropping season.

Agricultural workers, draught animals,

tractors, power tillers, diesel engines, electric

motors are used as sources of farm power in

Indian agriculture. The available farm power

(kW/ha) in Indian agriculture form these

sources and total farm power. It indicates that

the composition and relative share of different

sources of power for farming operations has

undergone significant change during the last

four decades. The availability of draught

animals power has come down from 0.133

kW/ha in 1971-72 to 0.094 kW/ha in

2012-13, whereas the share of tractors,

power tillers, diesel engines and electric

motors has increased from 0.020 to 0.844,

0.001 to 0.015, 0.053 to 0.300 and 0.041 to

0.494 kW/ha, respectively during the same

period. The total power availability on Indian

farms has increased from 0.293 to 1.841

kW/ha at a CAGR of 4.58% during the last

forty one years.

However, it is heartening to note that

average emerging land holdings are large

enough for mechanized farming as

evidenced in Punjab and Haryana. As

discussed in the earlier paragraph, one of the

major constraints of increasing agricultural

production and productivity is the inadequacy

of farm power and machinery with the

farmers. The average farm power availability

needs to be increased from the current 1.841

kW/ha to at least 2 kW/ha to assure

timeliness and quality in field operations,

undertake heavy field operations like sub

soiling, chiseling, deep ploughing, summer

ploughing, handling agricultural produce

and byproducts efficiently, process them for

value addition, income and employment

generation. All these works in agricultural

operations is possible to be attended only

when adequate agricultural mechanization

infrastructure is created.

Agricultural mechanization scenario

and farm power

Over, the years, promotion of agricultural

mechanization has been directed towards the

promotion of eco-friendly and selective

agricultural implements and machines with

the aims of optimal utilization of the available

s o u r c e s o f h u m a n , a n i m a l a n d

“Farmers are aided in improving marketing processes”

N S Chandel & K R Solanke

mechanical/electrical power, removing the

drudgery associated with various agricultural

operations. Farmers have also been provided

financial assistance for owning a wide range

of agricultural equipment viz. tractors, power

tillers, bullock/tractor drawn implements,

reapers, threshers, irrigation equipment,

hand tools, etc. Further, new equipment such

as precision planter, zero-till drill, seed cum

fertilizer drill, raised bed planter, improved

weeders, plant protection equipment,

harvesting and threshing machines, drip,

micro sprinkler and sprinkler irrigation

equipment have been made available to the

farmers. As a result of the joint efforts made

by the Government and the private sector, the

level of mechanization has been increasing

steadily over the years.

Mechanization also imparts capacity to

the farmers to carry out farm operations, with

ease and freedom from drudgery, making the

farming agreeable vocation for educated

youth as well. It helps the farmers to achieve

timeliness and precisely meter and apply

costly input for better efficacy and efficiency.

Benefits of Agricultural Mechanization

· Mechanization will boost the food

production which will lead to exportation

of the excess in the production so as to

generate income for the country through

foreign exchange earnings.

· To enable the new technology in

production applications.

· Production is dependent on natural

conditions as possible to recover and to

get more qualified products.

· Agricultural Mechanization had made

the level of information dissemination to

increase and Reduction in drudgery.

· Youth participation is encouraged in the

field of agricultural extension and

working conditions in rural areas more

comfortable, attractive and safe to bring

a case and agricultural workers to

improve work efficiency.

· Farmers are aided in improving

marketing processes such as packaging,

grading and standardizing commodities

and reducing losses in marketing

channels, ware housing and storage.

· Farm Mechanizat ion encourages

multiple cropping which was not possible

under traditional farming.

“Farm Mechanization encourages multiple cropping”

mechanical/electrical power, removing the

drudgery associated with various agricultural

operations. Farmers have also been provided

financial assistance for owning a wide range

of agricultural equipment viz. tractors, power

tillers, bullock/tractor drawn implements,

reapers, threshers, irrigation equipment,

hand tools, etc. Further, new equipment such

as precision planter, zero-till drill, seed cum

fertilizer drill, raised bed planter, improved

weeders, plant protection equipment,

harvesting and threshing machines, drip,

micro sprinkler and sprinkler irrigation

equipment have been made available to the

farmers. As a result of the joint efforts made

by the Government and the private sector, the

level of mechanization has been increasing

steadily over the years.

Mechanization also imparts capacity to

the farmers to carry out farm operations, with

ease and freedom from drudgery, making the

farming agreeable vocation for educated

youth as well. It helps the farmers to achieve

timeliness and precisely meter and apply

costly input for better efficacy and efficiency.

Benefits of Agricultural Mechanization

· Mechanization will boost the food

production which will lead to exportation

of the excess in the production so as to

generate income for the country through

foreign exchange earnings.

· To enable the new technology in

production applications.

· Production is dependent on natural

conditions as possible to recover and to

get more qualified products.

· Agricultural Mechanization had made

the level of information dissemination to

increase and Reduction in drudgery.

· Youth participation is encouraged in the

field of agricultural extension and

working conditions in rural areas more

comfortable, attractive and safe to bring

a case and agricultural workers to

improve work efficiency.

· Farmers are aided in improving

marketing processes such as packaging,

grading and standardizing commodities

and reducing losses in marketing

channels, ware housing and storage.

· Farm Mechanizat ion encourages

multiple cropping which was not possible

under traditional farming.

“Farm Mechanization encourages multiple cropping”

“On the one hand, increase in agricultural products, on the other hand, developments in agricultural tools industry with the opening of new jobs”

Conclusion

Keeping in view the above facts we

conclude that farm mechanization increases

the agriculture productivity. It increases the

income, saving and investment of the farmers.

In the other word we can say that farm

mechanization is very useful for the

development of agriculture sector. Now in the

today modern world every country has also

realized importance of farm mechanization

and has encouraged the import of machinery.

The level and appropriate choice of

agricultural mechanization has direct effects

on land and labor productivity, farm income,

environment, and the quality of life of small-

scale farmers in India. Hence, basic farm

mechanization requirements to cater to small-

farm needs must be met, such as: suitability to

small farms; simple design and technology;

versatility for use in different farm operations;

affordability in terms of cost to farmers; and

most importantly, the provision of support

services from the government and the private

sectors/ manufacturers. Most of countries are

providing loans on low rate of interest to the

farmers.

· Greater area under cultivation.

· On the one hand, increase in agricultural

p r o d u c t s , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d ,

developments in agricultural tools

industry with the opening of new jobs to

the area to allow.

Adoption of Mechanization

At present in India, tractors are being

used for tillage of 22.78% of total area and

sowing 21.30% of total area. Although, utility

of manually and bullock operated equipment

has been established but the response of the

farmers has been selective. The bullock drawn

seed-cum-fertilizer drill and manual paddy

transplanter have not been universally

accepted in spite of financial incentive from

the Government. Due to limited use in a year

and economic advantage of many items,

some improved implements could not replace

the local alternatives. The land levelers, seed-

cum-fertilizer drills have also been accepted

by the farmers but on limited scale. Major

adoption of agricultural machinery in

addition to irrigation equipment and tractor,

was thresher for wheat crop. Due to various

applications of paddy straw, preference has

been limited for paddy threshers. Self

propelled / tractor operated combines,

reaper harvester, potato and groundnut

mechaniza t ion machiner y are a l so

commercially available and accepted by the

farmers in states where tractors were

introduced. Now combine harvesters are

commonly used in different parts of the

country, on custom hire basis, for wheat,

soybean and paddy harvesting.N S Chandel & K R Solanke

(ICAR‐Central Ins�tute of Agricultural Engineering Bhopal, India)

“On the one hand, increase in agricultural products, on the other hand, developments in agricultural tools industry with the opening of new jobs”

Conclusion

Keeping in view the above facts we

conclude that farm mechanization increases

the agriculture productivity. It increases the

income, saving and investment of the farmers.

In the other word we can say that farm

mechanization is very useful for the

development of agriculture sector. Now in the

today modern world every country has also

realized importance of farm mechanization

and has encouraged the import of machinery.

The level and appropriate choice of

agricultural mechanization has direct effects

on land and labor productivity, farm income,

environment, and the quality of life of small-

scale farmers in India. Hence, basic farm

mechanization requirements to cater to small-

farm needs must be met, such as: suitability to

small farms; simple design and technology;

versatility for use in different farm operations;

affordability in terms of cost to farmers; and

most importantly, the provision of support

services from the government and the private

sectors/ manufacturers. Most of countries are

providing loans on low rate of interest to the

farmers.

· Greater area under cultivation.

· On the one hand, increase in agricultural

p r o d u c t s , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d ,

developments in agricultural tools

industry with the opening of new jobs to

the area to allow.

Adoption of Mechanization

At present in India, tractors are being

used for tillage of 22.78% of total area and

sowing 21.30% of total area. Although, utility

of manually and bullock operated equipment

has been established but the response of the

farmers has been selective. The bullock drawn

seed-cum-fertilizer drill and manual paddy

transplanter have not been universally

accepted in spite of financial incentive from

the Government. Due to limited use in a year

and economic advantage of many items,

some improved implements could not replace

the local alternatives. The land levelers, seed-

cum-fertilizer drills have also been accepted

by the farmers but on limited scale. Major

adoption of agricultural machinery in

addition to irrigation equipment and tractor,

was thresher for wheat crop. Due to various

applications of paddy straw, preference has

been limited for paddy threshers. Self

propelled / tractor operated combines,

reaper harvester, potato and groundnut

mechaniza t ion machiner y are a l so

commercially available and accepted by the

farmers in states where tractors were

introduced. Now combine harvesters are

commonly used in different parts of the

country, on custom hire basis, for wheat,

soybean and paddy harvesting.N S Chandel & K R Solanke

(ICAR‐Central Ins�tute of Agricultural Engineering Bhopal, India)

soil production

capacity varies from plot to plot in the same land or from land to land in the same

Soil is a mysterious substance containing

all the elements mentioned in the periodic

table in the form of a heterogeneous mass. It is

from this mass of substance in the presence of

adequate moisture that all the biomass

requirements, for humans and animals, are

being generated through agriculture.

We know that the soil production

capacity varies from plot to plot in the same

land or from land to land in the same area. At

the same time we also notice that the physical

features too vary from plot to plot and land to

land: some are leveled, while others are steep

or very steep, some have sandy soil while

others may have clay or silty soil; in some plots

the soil is thick while in others soil is very thin,

some lands are medium eroded while some

others are highly eroded etc. There is a high

correlation between the production capacity

of a land and various features of the same

land. Hence a detailed study of the variations

in the features of the land is essential.

The reader is notified that there are

several classifications of the various land

features. Hence he should not be surprised to

find difference on the same when you consult

other references. The reason is that we still in

India don't have an accepted system of

classification of the various land features.

Variations in Land Features

The important parameters which are

studied for classifying land under different

land capability classes are described in this

article. Each parameter has degree of

variation and each degree of variation is

represented by a symbol.

1. Effective depth of the soil

The depth of the soil denotes the thickness

VARIATIONS IN SOIL FEATURES

Dr. K. T. Chandy

of the soil over the bed rock, tough clay or

hard pan. The classification based on the

depth the soil is given in table 1.

2. Texture of the surface soil

The texture is indicative of the fineness of

the constituent particles of the soil and is

considered under three ways: (a) based on

the percentage by volume of the sand, silt and

clay in the soil sample, (b) based on the

feeling of touch of the soil particles and (c) the

workability of the soil particles in relation to

implements. Table 2 provides the details of the

textural c lassi f icat ion based on the

percentages of major soil aggregates, and

table 3 gives the textural classification

according to the feeling of touch and the table

4 provides classification according to the

workability of the agricultural implements

through the soil.

a. Percentages of major soil particles

Any soil can be segregated into three

main classes broadly: sand, silt and clay. The

combination of these three groups can

provide many textural classes as the table 2

presents here.

The knowledge about the soil textural

classification is a pre-requisite to determine

land capability classification and to prepare

any land use plan for agriculture. Therefore

more details about a technique of using a

labeled equilateral triangle are provided here

to the readers. If they can determine the

percentage of the sand, silt and clay of a given

sample they can decide the textural

classification of the soil pretty accurately.

Figure one is a ready a reckoner type of

reference material which can be used in the

field level survey and planning.

T a k e f o r e x a m p l e t h e

percentage of sand, silt and clay of your

sample is 60, 30 and 10 per cent respectively.

To determine the textural classification of your

sample first of all take the percentage of sand

(60%) and mark on the

side assigned, to the

percentage of sand.

S imi lar ly mark the

percentage of the silt

a n d c l a y i n t h e i r

respective sides. Now

draw a line from the

point of 60% sand to the

line representing the

percentage of clay but

paral le l to the l ine

r e p r e s e n t i n g s i l t .

Observe the line drawn

joins the point marked

4 0 % o n t h e l i n e

representing the clay

percentage. But ignore

this 40 per cent. Next

knowledge about the soil

textural classification

is a pre-requisite to

determine land

capability

IL FEA

Sl. No Symbol Name Depth range (cm)

1 d1 Very shallow 0-7.5

2 d2 Shallow 7.5-22.5

3 d3 Moderately deep 22.5-45.0

4 d4 Deep 45.0-90.0

5 d5 Very deep > 90.0

Table 1: Soil depth classes

Table 2: Textural classification of the soils based on percentages

Sl. No Common terms Texture Basic soil textural class names Symbols

1 Sandy soils Coarse i. Sands Sn ii. Loamy sand l-sn iii. Sandy loam Sn-l

2 Loamy soils a. Moderately coarse i. Fine sandy loam* f-sn-l b. Medium i. Very fine sandy loam* v-f-sn-l ii. Loam L iii. Silty loam s-l iv. Silt s

c. Moderately fine i. Silty clay loam s-c-l ii. Clay loam c-l

3 Clay soils Fine i. Sandy clay sn-c ii. Silt clay s-c iii. Clay c

$ These symbols are modified from the conventional ones. *In the figure one that fallows these soils are not separately shown but included in the section "sandy loam."

soil production

capacity varies from plot to plot in the same land or from land to land in the same

Soil is a mysterious substance containing

all the elements mentioned in the periodic

table in the form of a heterogeneous mass. It is

from this mass of substance in the presence of

adequate moisture that all the biomass

requirements, for humans and animals, are

being generated through agriculture.

We know that the soil production

capacity varies from plot to plot in the same

land or from land to land in the same area. At

the same time we also notice that the physical

features too vary from plot to plot and land to

land: some are leveled, while others are steep

or very steep, some have sandy soil while

others may have clay or silty soil; in some plots

the soil is thick while in others soil is very thin,

some lands are medium eroded while some

others are highly eroded etc. There is a high

correlation between the production capacity

of a land and various features of the same

land. Hence a detailed study of the variations

in the features of the land is essential.

The reader is notified that there are

several classifications of the various land

features. Hence he should not be surprised to

find difference on the same when you consult

other references. The reason is that we still in

India don't have an accepted system of

classification of the various land features.

Variations in Land Features

The important parameters which are

studied for classifying land under different

land capability classes are described in this

article. Each parameter has degree of

variation and each degree of variation is

represented by a symbol.

1. Effective depth of the soil

The depth of the soil denotes the thickness

VARIATIONS IN SOIL FEATURES

Dr. K. T. Chandy

of the soil over the bed rock, tough clay or

hard pan. The classification based on the

depth the soil is given in table 1.

2. Texture of the surface soil

The texture is indicative of the fineness of

the constituent particles of the soil and is

considered under three ways: (a) based on

the percentage by volume of the sand, silt and

clay in the soil sample, (b) based on the

feeling of touch of the soil particles and (c) the

workability of the soil particles in relation to

implements. Table 2 provides the details of the

textural c lassi f icat ion based on the

percentages of major soil aggregates, and

table 3 gives the textural classification

according to the feeling of touch and the table

4 provides classification according to the

workability of the agricultural implements

through the soil.

a. Percentages of major soil particles

Any soil can be segregated into three

main classes broadly: sand, silt and clay. The

combination of these three groups can

provide many textural classes as the table 2

presents here.

The knowledge about the soil textural

classification is a pre-requisite to determine

land capability classification and to prepare

any land use plan for agriculture. Therefore

more details about a technique of using a

labeled equilateral triangle are provided here

to the readers. If they can determine the

percentage of the sand, silt and clay of a given

sample they can decide the textural

classification of the soil pretty accurately.

Figure one is a ready a reckoner type of

reference material which can be used in the

field level survey and planning.

T a k e f o r e x a m p l e t h e

percentage of sand, silt and clay of your

sample is 60, 30 and 10 per cent respectively.

To determine the textural classification of your

sample first of all take the percentage of sand

(60%) and mark on the

side assigned, to the

percentage of sand.

S imi lar ly mark the

percentage of the silt

a n d c l a y i n t h e i r

respective sides. Now

draw a line from the

point of 60% sand to the

line representing the

percentage of clay but

paral le l to the l ine

r e p r e s e n t i n g s i l t .

Observe the line drawn

joins the point marked

4 0 % o n t h e l i n e

representing the clay

percentage. But ignore

this 40 per cent. Next

knowledge about the soil

textural classification

is a pre-requisite to

determine land

capability

IL FEA

Sl. No Symbol Name Depth range (cm)

1 d1 Very shallow 0-7.5

2 d2 Shallow 7.5-22.5

3 d3 Moderately deep 22.5-45.0

4 d4 Deep 45.0-90.0

5 d5 Very deep > 90.0

Table 1: Soil depth classes

Table 2: Textural classification of the soils based on percentages

Sl. No Common terms Texture Basic soil textural class names Symbols

1 Sandy soils Coarse i. Sands Sn ii. Loamy sand l-sn iii. Sandy loam Sn-l

2 Loamy soils a. Moderately coarse i. Fine sandy loam* f-sn-l b. Medium i. Very fine sandy loam* v-f-sn-l ii. Loam L iii. Silty loam s-l iv. Silt s

c. Moderately fine i. Silty clay loam s-c-l ii. Clay loam c-l

3 Clay soils Fine i. Sandy clay sn-c ii. Silt clay s-c iii. Clay c

$ These symbols are modified from the conventional ones. *In the figure one that fallows these soils are not separately shown but included in the section "sandy loam."

you take the percentage of the clay in your

sample pin point the 10% on the clay

percentage line and draw a line to the line

of silt percentage but parallel to the sand

percentage line. Note that it reaches the

point of 90% on the silt percentage line;

but ignore the 90% per cent. Similarly

draw a line from the point of 30% from the

silt percentage line to the sand percentage

line but parallel to the clay percentage

line. You will notice that all the three line

meet at one point in the figure. Note the

textural classification labeled in that area;

that will the textural classification of your

sample.

Now the question arises

in the mind of many readers

how can I determine the

percentages of the sand, silt

and clay of my sample. The

best is to get the help of a soil

testing laboratory near by

your place and get the

percentage of the sand, silt

and clay. If that is not possible

a crude method is explained

here which rim be done by

anyone.

Take a cylindrical glass

or transparent plastic jar of

Sl.No Soil text. Class Feel of moist soil Ball formation from Stickiness of wet soil Wire formation slightly moist soil from wet soil

1 Loamy sand Very gritty Very weak balls that It dirties finger slightly No wire break down very easily formation

2 Sandy loam Moderately gritty Balls can bear It dirties finger slightly No wire formation careful handling

3 Loam Slightly gritty & Balls can bear easy It dirties the finger No wire formation fairly smooth handling

4 Sandy clay loam Slightly gritty & fairly Fairly firm balls It sticks to one finger Slight tendency to smooth on drying are slightly hard form wire

5 Silty loam Smooth Firm balls are moderately It sticks to both fingers No wire formation hard on drying

6 Clay loam Smooth moderately Firm balls are hard It sticks to both fingers Short wires on drying are formed

7 Silty clay loam Very smooth Firm balls are moderately It sticks to both fingers Slightly longer hard on drying and is somewhat flexible wires are formed

8 Clay Very smooth Very firm balls are very It sticks to both fingers Long flexible wires hard on drying and is very flexible are formed

Table 3: Textural classification of soils by feeling them

Table 4: Heaviness or workability of the soil particles

Sl.No Symbol Specification Textural classification

1 h1 Very light Sand, coarse sand

2 h2 Light Loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam

3 h3 Light moderately Sand, loam, fine sandy loam

4 h4 Medium Silty loam and loamy sand

5 h5 Heavy moderately Silty clay loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam

6 h6 Heavy Clay, silty clay, sandy clay

7 h7 Very heavy Heavy clay (60% or more 2-micron clay particles)

* These symbols are not conventional

Table 5: Slope classes

Sl. No Symbol Slope classes % of slope Degree of slope

1 A Nearly level 0-1 0-1

2 B Gently sloping 1-3 1-2

3 C Moderately sloping 3-5 2-3

4 D Strongly sloping 5-10 3-6

5 E Moderate steep 10-15 6-96 F Steep 15-25 9-14

7 G Very steep 25-33 14-18

8 H Very very steep >33 >18

* These symbols used are conventional.

One foot soil decides the

destiny of man kind